Highlights of the Last Week of Summer

After the
Slow Rollers Poker Run she decided that she wanted a new beach cruiser for her birthday.



She picked the Black Betty which had to be ordered so it finally came on our second day of vacation. She and I had soccer practice that night so while we were at practice Brent went to the bike shop and got the bike and set it up for her to be surprised when she walked into the living room (that is her happy dance).

Because there is no summer camp the last week of summer, it has become a tradition for me to take the week off work and spend it with Madison.

Since she had her new bike we decided to go up to Tahoe and ride the bike path at Camp Richardson. Our friends Kristy and Charlie joined us and we made a big day of it. Kristy also got a new bike for her birthday so she was excited to get out there and ride.

We started the day with lunch at Sprouts, then some shopping at the Pearl Izumi outlet (husbands gave us each a list), a ride on the bike path, and finished with ice cream at the ice cream parlor. We had a bit of trouble loading the bikes so we got a later start than we wanted to but we did it and we were proud of ourselves for that.

We just got a new
movie theater in town and it has been a long time coming! The old theater was so gross that we would drive 20 to 45 miles to see a movie. I took the girls (Madison, Shayna, and Anjeanette) to see the movie
No Reservations
, it was pretty cute but predictable and sad at times.

We also did our back to school shopping and hair cut which was exhausting. I am not a big fan of shopping particularly when I HAVE to do it. So the girls and I headed out for a day of power shopping after Madison's hair appointment. We got an early start and did really well. We found some great deals especially on their DC shoes. We had a nice lunch and then finished up our shopping and headed home so Shayna could go to soccer practice.

Madison and I had so much fun at the Lake with Kristy and Charlie we decided to do it again but just the two of us. We ate lunch at Sprouts again, and I had to stop at the Pearl Izumi outlet again to get a jersey to match the shorts I bought earlier in the week. On our first ride Madison's seat was a bit too high and needed to be cut down so we were unable to finish the bike path. We took the bike to Dan and had it cut and now it is perfect. She was excited to finish the bike path and wanted to do it again.

This section of the bike path was Madison's favorite because it was like a natural tunnel.





We packed our beach towels in my basket so that we could hit the beach on our way back to the car from our bike ride. Because we rode our bikes into the beach, we did not have to pay to park. It was pretty cool to just ride up to the beach, park the bikes, and lay down our towels. Of course Madison made a friend in the first 5 minutes of being there. It was funny because the girls name was also Madison, they had the same cell phone, and they both had a tooth missing in the same place. They built a sand castle and buried the other Madison's little brother in the sand.

It was a great week but I have to say the best day by far was the last day, we can't wait to do it again next year.

High School Musical 2

Just before school started the geniuses at Disney released the sequel to the smash hit High School Musical. I had the bright idea to have a premier party for Madison and her friends. Turns out, I was not the only one with this idea. Her friend Natasha also had this idea along with another of her friends. So she had to turn down 2 other invites!

We got HS Musical plates, cups, and napkins and had pizza and (root)beer. Everyone came to the party in their pj's a couple of the girls even had HS Musical jammies. When Shayna heard what we were doing she decided to stay home from her moms that night and invite her friend Katie over to watch the movie. The Disney channel had a countdown to the premier with the cast so the girls were excited about that. Evidently Zach is "hot" personally, I think he is too pretty for a boy.

How was the movie? It was ok, it picked up where it left off in the first movie I guess it is best compared to our generations Grease but is not nearly as good if you ask me. The numbers beg to differ it broke all sorts of records for a made-for-tv movie and I hear the 3rd installment is going to the big screen...I can hardly wait.

Andy Warhol's Dream Amercia

My dad gave us some free passes to the Nevada Museum of Art. After both girls soccer practices and dropping Shayna at a birthday party/sleepover Brent, Madison, and I headed to the big city to go to the museum.

We really enjoy the museum and love art we just never find the time to drive up to Reno to enjoy it. I especially love the cafe but it was already closed by the time we got up there Saturday night.

The last time we went was on a Sunday in 2003! It was the grand opening of the new building and we saw the works of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. The Warhol exhibit was interesting, you always learn so much about the artist by seeing an exhibition of their work. I learned that he sprinkled real diamond dust in his prints before the paint dried. There were also high school artists on display so that was pretty neat. Madison really enjoyed all of the art, it was really cute.

After the museum we decided we needed nourishment and ended up at the El Pollo Loco cos that brings back fond memories of Huntington Beach and we don't have one in our town yet. Another favorite thing to do when we are in the big city is to look for the "hot" sign at the Krispy Kreme. As if the sign being on is a sign that you have to stop. Needless to say, we got a dozen of the originals oh and our free samples of course. We ended the evening at home where we watched The Benchwarmers which Madison and Brent thoroughly enjoyed.

Another well spent Saturday night if you ask me...

An Inconvenient Truth

Last night Brent and I sat the girls down and watched An Inconvenient Truth together.

This is a documentary about global warming. It is a beautifully done film, very artistic while at the same time very scary and sad. It left me feeling a sense of urgency to do my part and an enormous sense of sadness at what has happened to our plant. I also feel defeated, like no matter what I do it will not be enough. Not to mention the polar bears!

I also found myself incredibly angry that Al Gore was defeated by Bush and found myself wondering what could have been if that had not happened. What that one State did to us as a nation with that election. I could go on and on but that is not the message I am here to send.

If you are still on the fence, read the review here.

If you love your planet
If you love your children
You have to see this film